Pins are an indispensable sewing tool. They'll eventually poke you, but you'll have to forgive and move on because they keep your pattern pieces in place, hold your seams together as you sew, anchor trims, and more.

Like any job or hobby, using the right tools makes your project go more smoothly and quickly, and usually yields a more professional finished product. Sewing is no exception, and one of the most important tools we have are the various machine feet. Sewing machine feet come in a wide array of applications. Sewing machine feet do not wear shoes. But, they do make common techniques so much easier.

Ask ten different experts the difference between piping and cording and you might get ten different answers. however, you can be sure it does NOT have anything to do with bagpipes or comfortable pants.

At Sew4Home, we do everything possible using a machine. It's so much faster. However, there are times when hand sewing is necessary. Instead of searching the junk drawer for that needle you thought you saw awhile ago when hunting for the tape, stock up on these five basic types of hand-sewing needles.

We all know how important grain is in our diet, and grain is equally important in sewing. Grain is the gridwork of threads running lengthwise and crosswise that make up fabric. Just like oatmeal is a breakfast basic, grain is a sewing basic.

If only there were a tool that did the opposite of scissors... a handy tool that would uncut fabric after a mistake. How great would that be! Until this future sewing essential is on the market, a simple checklist will have to do.

If your project instructions call for two yards of 60-inch wide fabric, but the fabric you want to use is 45 inches wide... attempting to dredge up that old math lesson in proportions is probably not going to happen on the fly. Instead, print out this handy conversion chart for those times you don't have a pattern envelope with a yardage conversion table.